The present invention relates to beverages, especially fruit flavored beverages wherein a desired quality is opacity.
In the art of the formulation of dry mix fruit juice beverages, there is a continuing effort being made to duplicate a counterpart natural fruit juice as closely as possible. The imitation beverage must have the mouth-feel, opacity, color and flavor characteristics of a natural juice. These desirable characteristics must be evident from the time of preparation of the aqueous beverage from the dry mix to the time of consumption. In many cases the beverage is not consumed for periods of time up to 48 hours subsequent to preparation. While stability after reconstitution is critical, it is equally important that the powderous dry beverage mix be storage stable for extended periods of time (i.e., in excess of 90 days) under adverse conditions (i.e., temperature 100.degree. F. and relative humidity 90%).
An attempt at achieving the desired property of opacity or cloud inherent in natural fruit juice is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,023,106 to Common. Therein is described a dried emulsion incorporating a plastic fat which is added to a dry beverage mix. The term "plastic fat" is described to cover a fat which is semi-solid at room temperature, that is, a product which is a mixture of fats and oils at temperatures in the order of 60.degree. F. The plastic fat may be compounded by any one of a number of means such as by hardening through hydrogenation of vegetable oils or may comprise a blend of such fats and oils. Typically coconut oil may be hydrogenated to give a semi-solid material having a Wiley melting point of 98.degree. F., a capillary melting point of 104.degree. F., an iodine value of 5.2, a saponification number of approximately 253 and a solids content index of 43% at 20.degree. C. To this material is added 6% stearin to yield a partially solidified fat having a Wiley melting point of 111.degree. F., a capillary melting point of 116.degree. F., an iodine value of 2.2, a saponification number of approximately 254 and a solids content index of from 48-50% solids at a temperature of 20.degree. C.
Another attempt at producing a clouding agent was set out in U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,522 to Carlson. The concept of a plastic fat emulsion system of Common was improved upon by providing for the incorporation of one or more inorganic whitening pigments, typically titanium dioxide, in a clouding system comprising a plastic fat and a hydrophilic colloidal material. Carlson typically spray dries a solution of gum Arabic, hydrogenated coconut oil and titanium dioxide to obtain a dry, flowable, powderous clouding agent which is subsequently incorporated in a dry beverage mix.
A major drawback of prior cloud systems relates to their inclusion of the plastic fat itself in the cloud system. Several detrimental effects are manifested due to the fat and result ultimately in problems of clumping of the dry mix and insolubility of the mix when reconstitution is attempted. First, the oil may be poorly fixed, that is an excess of free oil will be present in the cloud system. Second, in the blending process when the cloud is mixed with the other ingredients of the dry beverage mix ingredients, considerable mechanical work is performed (typically in 2,000 pound capacity ribbon blenders). The mechanical attrition and grinding will liberate oil from its fixative agent. A third undesirable effect is caused by temperature which may be due to both mechanical shear during mixing and ambient conditions. A fourth effect is provided by excessive moisture which may be due to excessively humid ambient conditions and the addition of liquid color to the dry mix. Thus, there are various influences which tend to liberate oil during processing. Since the oil is water insoluble, aqueous, reconstitution is incomplete.
Another problem associated with the use of oil in a clouding agent is off-taste. The oxidated rancidity and alkaline hydrolysis of the oil result in a undesirable soapy taste. This type of problem is further compounded in that discovery of the off-taste in many instances is not made until after the product has been in the stream of commerce for a considerable period of time.
In view of the foregoing, it would be highly desirable if a simple method were devised whereby a cloud system for dry beverage mixes could be obtained which does not contain fat.